The new campus of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) at Umerkot, equipped with state of the art facilities, has started imparting computer knowledge and training, AIOU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi said on Wednesday. The AIOU VC was speaking at the meeting with the heads of administrative departments of the university. He said that Umerkot, located in the Thar Desert, has many historical sites, including the birthplace of Mughal emperor Akbar.
Dr Sangi said that providing the facilities of higher education and opportunities through the Distance Learning System to the scattered population in the Thar Desert was an extremely challenging mission, however the AIOU established its campus at Umerkot and equipped it with state of the art facilities. He said that the computer labs of the Umerkot Campus have started computer training on the test basis. Similarly, two Video Conferencing System and Multi Media Projectors have also been provided to the newly established campus at Umerkot. Dr Sangi said that the AIOU was following the visionary mission of former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to combat illiteracy and extend educational opportunities to women and underprivileged youth at their doorstep. He said that the AIOU was stepping ahead and functioning swiftly in Southern Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and in all the far flung and backward areas of Balochistan and Sindh, to fight poverty, unemployment and backwardness, for the prosperity and development of the country.